Chŏngju weather in May

In May, Chŏngju sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 102 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chŏngju's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chŏngju's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
102 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:30 AM – 7:41 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Chŏngju is human settlement in North Korea.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chŏngju reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1188
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
71910
82010
92010
102010
112010
122010
132011
142011
152111
162111
172111
182112
192112
202212
212212
222212
232212
242213
252213
262313
272313
282313
292314
302314
312314

How May really feels in Chŏngju

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Chŏngju weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -11°112.62.89.50.0
Feb / -7°223.42.710.40.0
Mar / -1°284.71.411.71.6
Apr15° / 586.60.2135.0
May21° / 11°1028.2014.26.8
Jun25° / 17°12810.1014.86.7
Jul27° / 21°30815.3014.55.4
Aug28° / 21°25014.1013.65.4
Sep25° / 15°1037012.37.4
Oct18° / 577.1010.96.2
Nov / -0°567.51.29.81.7
Dec / -8°255.13.79.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25347
35248
45248
55050
65050
75050
85050
94951
104951
114951
124951
135050
145149
155149
165248
175248
185347
195545
205545
215743
225743
235743
245842
255842
265842
275842
285743
295644
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chŏngju gets around 102 mm of rain over 8.2 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1127
1227
1327
1427
1526
1626
1726
1825
1925
2025
2125
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
195500
295500
395500
494600
594600
694600
793700
892800
992800
1091900
11901000
12881110
13871210
14851410
15831610
16801820
17782020
18752230
19722530
20692740
21672940
22633250
23603460
24573670
25543880
26514090
274842100
284543120
294144140
303845160
313545191

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 7:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:477:26
213.75:457:27
313.75:447:28
413.85:437:29
513.85:427:30
613.85:417:31
713.95:397:32
813.95:387:33
913.95:377:34
1014.05:367:35
1114.05:357:36
1214.05:347:37
1314.15:337:38
1414.15:327:39
1514.15:317:40
1614.25:307:41
1714.25:297:42
1814.25:287:43
1914.35:277:44
2014.35:277:44
2114.35:267:45
2214.45:257:46
2314.45:247:47
2414.45:247:48
2514.45:237:49
2614.55:227:50
2714.55:227:51
2814.55:217:51
2914.55:207:52
3014.65:207:53
3114.65:197:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.76 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 5.76 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chŏngju

In seasonPeak

In May, Chŏngju sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Chŏngju sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Chŏngju's rainy season runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Chŏngju?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Chŏngju for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chŏngju in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Chŏngju sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chŏngju in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 0°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 3 to Oct 1 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar2Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Chŏngju in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chŏngju peaks around August 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 16UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Chŏngju in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Chŏngju is worst in January — around 106 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 50 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 17104 µg/m³Aug 1050 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan106Unhealthy
Feb94Unhealthy
Mar94Unhealthy
Apr80Unhealthy
May68Unhealthy
Jun59Unhealthy
Jul50Poor
Aug50Poor
Sep67Unhealthy
Oct81Unhealthy
Nov90Unhealthy
Dec91Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Chŏngju?

Chŏngju sits at 39.7°N, 125.2°E, 18 m above sea level, in North Korea. The nearest listed city is Sil-li, 32 km away.

SinanjuAnjuCh’ŏsal-liPaek'akKaech’ŏnSunch’ŏn

Topography around Chŏngju

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Chŏngju.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chŏngju has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 550 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,275 m.

The land around Chŏngju is covered by cropland (70%) within 3 km, cropland (53%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and trees (35%), cropland (32%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
550 m
80 km
1,275 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sil-li 32 km · Kusŏng-si 32 km · Sinanju 36 km · Anju 40 km · Ch’ŏsal-li 41 km · Paek'ak 43 km · Kaech’ŏn 58 km · Sunch’ŏn 68 km

North Korea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Safe drinking water
67%
of population, 2023
Road deaths
24.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chŏngju (39.6933°, 125.2103°, elevation 18 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).